When asked by trustee Felicia Watson why some ballots were not counted, Jackson said: "I was advised by my personal attorney not to answer that (question) in public."

Johnson won the open seat with 431 votes, beating out incumbent trustee Jacqueline Roman, who got 152 votes, along with challengers Lance Hardy, who got 378 votes, and Linda Green, who got 163 votes.

It's unclear how many of the votes were cast via absentee ballot. When asked for that number on Wednesday, Superintendent Nicole Williams told the Journal that Jackson was "not present today." The district did not provide the number of absentee ballots cast by press time.

The Journal submitted a Freedom of Information request Wednesday for a list of all people to whom absentee ballots were issued from 2012 to 2016.

At Tuesday's meeting, board President Ralph Coates said the only absentee ballots counted in this year's tally were those that were "mailed in." Jackson said absentee ballots that went to nursing homes were counted.

After the meeting, Coates declined further comment on the absentee ballot issue.

"I think we (have) made all of our comments this evening in regards to the vote ... the budget is passed (658 to 463) and we have a new board member," Coates said.

Johnson has served on the Poughkeepsie board in the past but lost his spot in 2015 while running a city mayoral campaign. He and Hardy faced off in the city's Democratic mayoral primary in September. Johnson beat Hardy in the primary but lost the general election to Republican Rob Rolison.

When asked if he had a comment about winning the board seat, Johnson told the Journal: "One plus God is always the majority."

School districts are required by education law to follow a process when issuing absentee ballots. For instance, districts have to mail absentee ballots to every voter considered “permanently disabled" by the county board of elections. But most other voters have to submit applications before obtaining absentee ballots. An application has to be received "at least seven days before the election, if the ballot is to be mailed to the voter, or the day before the election, if the ballot is to be issued to the voter in person," according to guidelines.

Individuals that consider themselves to be "aggrieved by an action taken at a school district meeting or by school authorities" can appeal to the state Education Department commissioner to review the action, according to state officials. The appeal has to be initiated within 30 days unless a delay is excused by the commissioner.

In general, appeals "frequently" arise from election-related issues, said state Education Department spokesman Jonathan Burman. As of Wednesday, the department had not received an "appeal arising out of the Poughkeepsie (district) election."

It's unclear if the results of the election will be challenged.

District taxpayer Chris Malet — who voted in favor of the budget — said he was concerned by the clerk's comments on Tuesday.

Jackson obviously "talked to her attorney before the meeting," Malet said. "What did she already know that made her contact her own personal attorney? Something is not right. The whole thing is very sketchy."

Malet, who was a district teacher from 2001 to 2003, said he's frustrated by the situation, "another incident in a pattern of non-transparency on the school board. If I'm (Hardy) and there's a question about absentee ballots, I would most certainly challenge" the results.